Bound By Love
by Lyeza
Summary: When Pansy’s plan to keep Draco by her side backfired, it ended up in Ginny and Draco being chained together. The only way to free them was a love confession by both parties. Will Draco and Ginny find love or will they be stuck together forever?
1. Chapter 1

**Bound by Love **

By Lyeza 

Disclaimer: None of the characters in Harry Potter belongs to me. They belong to J.K. Rowling.

Summary: When Pansy's plan to keep Draco by her side backfired, it ended up in Ginny and Draco being chained together. The only way to free them was a love confession by both parties. Will Draco and Ginny find love or will they be stuck together forever? Either way, they could never get rid of each other again. D/G.

"Perfect. Now all I need is to find Draco," Pansy thought gleefully as she walked along the corridor in search of Draco. Those who passed by her wondered at the smug look on her face and some casted worried looks at the thing she was holding tightly in her hands.

Pansy did not notice them though, her mind focused on trying to locate Draco. Eversince they entered into their sixth year in Hogwarts, Draco seemed rather distant to her. It seemed to her that he had forgotten she even existed. Everytime she approached him and cajoled him into paying more attention to her, he just pushed her away.

"Not anymore," she thought happily. "This handcuff is going to keep him by my side for as long as I want him to until he finally cannot ignore me anymore." She held the two bracelets that were linked together by a single thick chain in front of her. She smiled with anticipation. She was pleased with her discovery.

Ginny was sitting alone under the tree, enjoying the breeze that was caressing her face as she read her book. She loved the tranquility here. Living under the roof with six elder brothers for years had made her appreciate every moment of peace she could enjoy. Her peace, however, was disrupted when she heard a couple quarrelling not far away from her.

"What do you think you are doing?" Ginny heard a boy demanded. Ginny frowned. The voice sounded rather familiar.

"You have been neglecting me for quite a while now. I won't stand for it. This will make sure you will not be able to escape from me again," a girl explained.

"What makes you think I want to be with you?" the boy said with a sneer. Ginny straightened. She recognised that sneer anywhere. After all, she had been one of the 'lucky' ones who was graced with such a sneer once in a while.

"Malfoy," Ginny thought as she turned to see the bickering couple. Ginny's eyes widened when she saw Pansy trying to put something on Draco's hand while Draco was struggling to free his arm from Pansy's grip.

"What is going on?" she wondered. She was contemplating on whether she should just leave them alone and resume her reading or approached them. "Why would you want to approach them, Ginny? It's their problem," Ginny muttered to herself. "Besides, they would probably ask me to sod off anyway."

"Damn," Ginny's thought was interrupted by a curse from Draco. Ginny turned back to the couple, who appeared to be oblivious to her presence.

Draco was glaring at Pansy. "What have you done now?" he growled. Pansy, however, was too busy trying to lock the handcuff to her hand to notice his glare.

"Why won't the clasp close?" she complained, trying again and again to close the clasp around her hand but to no avail. "Draco's clasp is already locked."

"Release the clasp, Pansy," Draco ordered.

Again, Pansy was too caught up with her own troubles to listen to Draco. "It must be faulty," she thought furiously. "Let's go and fix it," she said and stormed towards the castle.

"Pansy!" Draco, who was already bound by the cuff, shouted as he was forced to follow Pansy.

It was then Pansy noticed a girl watching her not so far away. She stopped and glowered at Ginny. "Are you really that bored, Weasley, that you have to watch us?" she said snidely.

Ginny grinned. "Are you really that desperate, Parkinson, that you have to use a pair of handcuffs to stop him from straying?" she shot back. She thought she heard a snort from Draco as though he was trying to contain his laughter. Ginny turned to him for a while but he just raised his eyebrow.

"Must be my imagination," Ginny thought.

Pansy fumed. "How dare you?" she bit out furiously. "Out of my way, you pathetic Gryffindor. I have something to get fixed here to waste my time to the likes of you."

Ginny knew she should move away but she thought it was rather more fun to see how far she could push the enraged girl. It was not everyday she could get under Pansy's skin and she was not about to let this rare opportunity passed.

"You sure have a lot to fix then," Ginny commented. Then she tapped her chin thoughtfully and added, "Perhaps you can start by fixing that nasty attitude of yours."

"Why you…" Pansy growled. Again, Ginny heard a snort from Draco. Pansy too must have heard for she also turned to him. This time, Draco did nothing to hide his amusement as he smiled appreciatively at Ginny.

Ginny was surprised. He had never smiled at her that way before. Smirked, yes but not genuine smile that was now sending flutters in her stomach.

Ginny's biting comments at Pansy did amaze Draco. "Since when did the little Weasley become a spirited vixen who dare to stand up to anyone?" he wondered. He turned to Pansy to see how she would react to the fact that this Gryffindor was not about to let herself be pushed around by her.

Pansy was not glaring at Ginny though. She was not even looking at Ginny. Instead, she was scowling at Draco.

"You find this amusing, don't you?" she asked venomously, her eyes narrowing at him. "Well, see if you want to be stuck to a Weasley," she said as she grabbed the unsuspecting Ginny and clamped the cuffs around her hand. Unlike what had happened to Pansy before, the clasp closed around Ginny's wrist with a resounding clank. Three pairs of eyes widened as they stared unbelievingly at the pair of handcuffs.

Both Draco and Ginny tore their gaze away from the handcuffs to shout at Pansy. "What have you done?" they both shouted at once.

Pansy winced. "That was not supposed to happen. It was supposed to be faulty," she wailed. Then she looked at Ginny angrily. "It must be your doing. You somehow charmed that thing to ensure that it will close around your wrist," she accused.

Ginny rolled her eyes, momentarily forgetting that she was stuck with a Malfoy. "Get a life, Pansy," she snorted. Clearly, that was not a suitable reply to Pansy as her face turned even redder with fury.

She was about to pounce on Ginny when Draco held her back. "Where's the key?" he demanded.

Pansy looked confused at first. "What key?" she asked, puzzled.

"The key to open the clasp!" he shouted as he raised his hand which was chained to Ginny's in front of Pansy impatiently.

Ginny gave a yelp. "Be careful, will you?" she cried. "My hand is chained to yours too, if you are too dense to notice." Draco ignored her. He was too busy trying to intimidate Pansy into giving him the key.

"Uh…" Pansy began, wringing her hands nervously.

"Uh…what, Parkinson," Ginny prompted, dread filling her. Somehow, she knew she would not like Pansy's answer.

"Idon'thavethekey," Pansy answered quickly. The moment she answered, she quickly turned to run away but Draco caught her arm.

"Can you repeat what you have just said?' he asked, his voice dangerously low. Pansy looked miserable. "Answer me, will you?" he demanded again, trying to fight the urge to shake her.

Pansy was about to answer but Ginny beat her to it. "What do you mean you don't have the key? This is yours, isn't it?" she shrieked, preparing to strangle the frightened girl.

"Stop jumping up at down, Weasley," Draco drawled. "I'll sue you if you pull my arm off."

Ginny paid him no heed though. She was too engrossed in trying to do bodily harm to Pansy. Pansy took a step back. She looked almost frightened of Ginny.

"It was …it was a… mistake. Honest! I don't expect the clasp to close around your wrist," she stammered.

Ginny was about to say something when Draco interrupted, "You intend to chain me to you when you don't even have the key? I can't believe you."

"Well, you have been ignoring me. You don't even talk to me anymore. Everytime I tried to talk to you, you would just walk away. It's frustrating," Pansy ranted. She then spent the next five minutes accusing Draco of neglecting her, saying that it was his entire fault that she had to resort to this.

"I get your point, Pansy," Draco snapped, preventing her from continuing her tirade. "I'll deal with you later. For now, we have to find a way to unlock this thing," he said. Ginny nodded in agreement.

"I don't intend to get stuck with a Weasley for longer than necessary," he added with a sneer.

"If you must know, Malfoy, I feel the same way about you," Ginny bit out.

"Glad you feel that way. I don't want a weasel to fall for someone as incredible as me," he said sardonically.

"As egotistical, you mean," Ginny shot back.

Draco raised his eyebrow. "I can be considered quite a catch, Weasley," he announced in a superior tone.

"Only to shallow, money-hungry girls," Ginny countered.

Pansy who had been watching the exchange in silence took offense to that. "I heard that, Weasley, and I don't like it one bit," she glowered.

"Who ask for her opinion anyway?" Ginny muttered. Then she pulled out her wand and pointed towards the clasp. "Alohomora," she said. Unfortunately for them, the clasp remained close.

"Nice try, Weasley. Not good enough though," Draco drawled.

"Why don't you try then," Ginny challenged. 

"Fine. I'll release us in no time at all," he said confidently. He pointed his wand at the bracelet and muttered something under his breath. Red light shot out of his wand and hit the chain, causing sparks to be released. However, the bracelet remained unscathed.

"This is ridiculous," he burst out.

"Hermione. Maybe Hermione can help us out," Ginny suggested.

"Ask the mudblood for help?" Draco asked incredulously. "No way."

"Stop calling her that. Hermione knows a lot. She might be able to help us," Ginny explained through gritted teeth. She then stormed towards Hogwarts to look for her friend with Draco struggling to keep up with her.

"Ginny! What are you doing with Malfoy and Parkinson?" Hermione asked, her eyes widened with shock. Ginny had a nervous look on her face while Malfoy was scowling at her. "And why are you standing so close to Malfoy?"

Ginny then held up her hand that was chained to Malfoy's hand. "We need your help," she said dryly.

Moments later, the four of them were in the library poring over countless of books in hope to find more information about the bracelets. Minutes turned to hours but their effort went to no avail. Four hours later, they have yet to find a solution.

"We are going to be stuck together forever," Ginny sighed.

"You sure sound excited at the prospect, weasel," Draco remarked dryly.

"For someone who hate the Weasleys so much, you sure are taking this more calmly than I expected," Ginny said.

Draco shrugged carelessly. "I'm a Malfoy. Malfoys don't overreact, unlike the Weasleys," he taunted.

Ginny fumed. She was about to retort when Hermione exclaimed triumphantly, "I've found it!"

Everyone crowded eagerly around Hermione. However, the eagerness faded when they realised what it was.

"The Soulmate Bands," Ginny breathed.

"It was invented by a very powerful wizard who lived in the lost town of Celadonia centuries ago. During that time, people treasured their independence too much that they refused to get married. Their stubbornness worried the wizard that their civilisation would perish eventually. Thus, he invented a pair of bracelets linked by a chain that would lock itself around the wrist of couples who were destined to be soulmates," Hermione read aloud, her face had paled slightly.

"And the only way to free the couple from the bracelets is a sincere confession of love by both parties," Pansy finished the paragraph. For a moment, everyone was silent as they tried to absorb whatever they had read.

"Confession of love!" Pansy screeched.

"Shhh," the other students in the library warned. The foursome was getting too noisy.

"To a Malfoy?" Ginny said incredulously. Then she shook her head and added," "Not bloody likely."

"That is the only way, Ginny," Hermione said as she scanned the pages, trying to find any other ways.

Draco glowered at the chain that bound him to Ginny. "A Weasley for a soulmate? What a bunch of crap," he snorted. Then he turned to Pansy and threatened in a low voice, "You are so dead, Pansy."

Pansy quivered slightly under his threatening glare and looked expectantly at Hermione who was still reading the book.

"Are you really sure that there's no other way, Hermione?" Ginny asked desperately. Hermione shook her head, giving Ginny a sympathetic look.

"How can he be my soulmate?" Ginny spat, pointing accusingly at Draco. "This bracelet must be a fake."

"It must be," Pansy agreed. "Or else, it would have chained me to Draco instead of you. After all, Draco and I are meant to be."

"Enough of this, Pansy. It is your stupid obsession with getting together with me that resulted in this disaster," Draco said, looking somewhat exasperated. Then he turned to Ginny and started, "So…"

Ginny looked bewildered, not knowing what he expected from her. "So what?" she asked.

"Aren't you going to confess your undying love to me?" Draco demanded in an impatient voice.

"I confess my undying love to you," Ginny repeated, stunned.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked. "You say you love me and I will say the same for you. Don't take it seriously, of course. I don't love you. Hell, I don't even like you," Draco continued with a scorn.

"As if I love you," Ginny mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Can you just get on with this dumb confession? The sooner we get free of each other the better," Draco said.

"Malfoy," Hermione called but Draco ignored her.

"Well…" Draco prodded, trying to intimidate Ginny with his glare.

"Why don't you say first?" Ginny refused.

"Malfoy, you need…" Hermione started again.

"Shut up, Granger," Draco interrupted. "It's bad enough that you are watching this. Now Weasley, you confess first," he ordered.

"No," Ginny said simply.

"You are being stubborn!" Draco bit out furiously.

"You are too," Ginny retorted.

"Ladies first," Draco pointed out, refused to give in to the annoying female Weasley. "No way am I going to confess to her first. Even if the confession is a fake," he thought.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls," Ginny countered, emphasising on the word 'boys'. "So boys go first," she reasoned smugly.

"Weasley…" he warned, his voice dangerously low. However, his effort to intimidate Ginny went to a waste for Ginny remained unperturbed.

Both Pansy and Hermione just watched the exchange between Draco and Ginny, knowing it was useless to intervene.

Draco then decided to try a different tactic. "If I don't know better, Weasley, I think you want to be stuck with me," he drawled.

"If I don't know better, Malfoy, I think you want to be stuck with me," she used his words against him. "Imagine a Malfoy wanting to be stuck with someone who he thinks is supposedly below him," she added with a laugh.

"I want to be stuck with you? You must be dreaming, Weasley," Draco scoffed.

"Then why don't you say it first," Ginny challenged.

"Ugh! Fine, I love you. Are you happy now?" Draco said angrily.

"Absolutely," Ginny replied with a grin.

It was then, to Draco's annoyance that he realised that Ginny had somehow manipulated him into confessing to her first. "So what are you waiting for?" he demanded. "I've already done my part."

"Fine. I love you too," Ginny said venomously. If one did not hear properly, one would have thought she said 'I hate you' instead.

"Love is in the air," Pansy announced sarcastically. Everyone looked expectantly at the Soulmate Bands but nothing happened.

"Why the hell are we not freed yet?" Draco burst out.

"You are getting too noisy," Madam Pince demanded as she reached them. "I'm afraid you have to leave now," she added, ushering the four chastened students out of the library.

Once they were out of the library, Draco rounded on Hermione. "Why does it not work, mudblood? If I find out its some kind of trick…" he warned

.

"Cut it out, Malfoy. I've been trying to tell you just now but you refused to let me talk. Anyway, the book said it must be a sincere confession," Hermione explained, stressing on the word 'sincere'.

"I'll doubt he knows what sincere means, Hermione. It is highly unlikely that a Malfoy has any sincere moments at all," Ginny quipped.

"Weasley, you are lucky that you are chained to me now or I would have strangled you to death," Draco said.

"Won't it be easier if you strangle me now? After all, I can't run away even if I want to?" Ginny asked, looking confused.

Draco looked at her in surprise. He expected her to cower when he used that kind of tone. Most people did that but instead she just looked at him and practically asked 'Why not?' It was puzzling. "The Weasleys are a weird lot," he concluded mentally.

"So what are we going to do now?" Pansy asked Hermione.

"I don't know," Hermione admitted.

"You don't know?" Draco asked in mock disbelief. "That's rich coming from a Know-It-All mudblood."

"Stop calling her that, Mal-ferret!" Ginny shouted.

"I can call her what I like, Weasel," Draco stated arrogantly. Ginny clenched her fists angrily.

"Will you stop this?" Hermione said. "Since its obvious you have no love at all for each other, we have to find other ways to free both of you from the chain. For now, let's go to the Great Hall. Dinner is in a few minutes," she reasoned.

" It's that late already!" Pansy exclaimed. "Come on," she urged, her stomach rumbling with hunger.

"We'll figure something out after dinner," Ginny said determinedly and then followed Hermione and Pansy who were already ahead of them.

"Walk slower, Weasley. My hand is hurting," Draco complained as her hurried after her.

They stopped in front of the Great Hall. It was then a thought came to them. Ginny and Draco looked at each in horror.

"There's no way I'm going to sit with the Slytherins," Ginny stated.

At the same time, Draco also said, "Don't expect me to sit with your pathetic Gryffindor friends."

Hermione meanwhile sank to the floor with her hands covering her face. "What will Harry and Ron think when they see Ginny and Draco chained together?" she groaned.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Bound by Love

By Lyeza

Disclaimer: None of the characters in Harry Potter belongs to me. They belong to J.K. Rowling.

Hi! Thank you very much for all your reviews. I hope you will continue to read this story and feel free to offer your thoughts and even suggestions for this story. I'm not sure how original is this plot. I'm sure there are fanfics with similar concepts around but I'll do my best to come up with original ideas. Now, on to the story.

Chapter 2:

"It's bad enough that I am already stuck with a Weasley. There's no way I am going to sink so low as to mingle with the Gryffindors," Draco pointed out.

"Gee! How surprising to hear you say that considering you are the lowest, vilest human that has ever existed," Ginny countered. Then, in an afterthought, she added, "Err…second lowest after You-Know-Who, that is."

"How dare you?" Draco fumed. "Do most people think of me as that?" he wondered angrily. "We are going to sit with the Slytherins. We are the best lot of people in Hogwarts," he insisted.

Ginny snorted in disbelief.

"That is a matter of opinion. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, no matter how flawed they are," Hermione murmured. She was still trying to figure out how to solve this problem. Considering the unrelenting manner Ginny and Draco were both behaving towards one another, she knew it would be difficult to find a compromise.

"Thing are going to get even more complicated if we cannot find a solution soon," she realised with dread.

"We are going to sit with my housemates. You should be honoured that you have the chance," Draco told Ginny, interrupting Hermione's thoughts.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I am so bloody honoured to receive an invitation to sit with oh-so-superior Slytherins," Ginny drawled sarcastically.

Unfortunately, her sarcasm was lost on Draco, who was either too dense to notice or blatantly ignoring it, for he stated simply, "As you should be."

That simple comment sprang Ginny into action. Overwhelmed with fury, she lunged for his throat. "Sarcasm, you idiot. I was being sarcastic. How thick can you be?" Ginny shouted, her hands pressed tightly on his throat. Draco, who was obviously unprepared for her assault, was too stunned to protest. Even after he had recovered from his shock, he was not able to say anything for Ginny's hands, which were tightly pressed against his neck, was blocking air circulation to his windpipe.

"Weasel," Draco managed to squeak, his hands trying to pry his neck free from her hands. Students were starting to enter the Great Hall for their dinner and as they passed the struggling pair, they merely shook their head at the scene. To them, it was a typical Malfoy-Weasley scene though they were slightly surprised that it was the female Weasley who was involved and not her hotheaded brother.

"Like brother, like sister," some of the students snickered as they walked past.

"Get your filthy hands off him," Pansy ordered. She walked over to Ginny and Draco and tried to separate them. Her efforts, however, aggravated the whole situation for she accidentally elbowed Draco's stomach. A shrill, girl-like scream could be heard from Draco as he fell backwards, pulling Ginny with him.

"Oof," Ginny managed as she fell heavily onto Draco, who let out a loud yelp at the impact.

"It hurts," Draco groaned, closing his eyes. He had been stuck with her for less than a day and he was already having a splitting headache and a sore back to top it all off. He opened his eyes again to see Ginny frowning at him. Draco glared. "You are going to be the death of me," he said.

"I don't mind," Ginny quipped, momentarily forgetting that she was still sprawled on top of the person she loathed. Draco smiled wryly at the unexpected reply from her. It was then they noticed their closeness and the compromising situation they were in. However, neither seemed to want to do anything about it as they continued to stare at each other.

"Get off my Draco!" Pansy shouted, breaking the strange moment between them. Ginny quickly moved away from him to allow him to sit up. Draco shook his head furiously as he sat up.

"My headache must be getting worst. For a moment there, I actually thought she is beautiful. I have better taste than that," he thought.

"Both of you really need to control your temper," Hermione scolded. "You're lucky that none of the Gryffindors has arrived yet. Can you imagine what would have happened if they have seen you, especially Ron and Harry?"

Ginny paled. She had totally forgotten about them. "Another thing to add to my worries," she mumbled. Ginny then realised that they had still yet to decide where they were going to sit. "Back to square one and it is all his fault," she scowled.

Noticing the venomous look on Ginny's face, Hermione quickly decided to take charge before another argument started. "Ginny, you have to sit with the Slytherins," Hermione informed her.

"What?" Ginny exclaimed, looking at Hermione as though Hermione had betrayed her.

"Harry and Ron are not yet aware of your situation. If Malfoy sits at our table, Ron will make a scene. You know how hotheaded your brother is," Hermione explained.

"But he will still make a scene if I sit with the Slytherins," Ginny argued.

"I am going to wait here for Ron and Harry and tell them that we have a joint project to discuss so we will be sitting together with Malfoy and Parkinson tonight. They will be suspicious but at least, they will not react as badly as they are going to if they find out about the Soulmate Bands," Hermione continued.

"That thing," Pansy spat as she pointed accusingly at the bracelets. "Does not deserve such a name."

"You were the one who found it," Draco pointed out.

"They'll find out sooner or later. Better to get it over and done with," Ginny said.

"Ginny, if they are to react the way I suspect they will be, they will get in trouble. We don't really want that, do we? Besides, if we have our way, they don't need to know at all," Hermione tried to convince her sulking friend. More students were starting to enter the hall and Hermione moved to stand right in front of Ginny and Draco so as to block their view of the bracelets. "After dinner, we'll go straight to Professor Dumbledore and ask him for help. Hopefully, he will solve our problem by tonight," she added.

Despite himself, Draco did admit (to himself, of course. There's no way the mudblood is going to know) that Granger's plan did sound fairly reasonable. He looked at Ginny to see how she would react to the plan.

Ginny sighed. "Fine," she relented.

Hermione smiled. "You should go now. I'll wait for Ron and Harry and join you later," she said.

"Wait a minute, mudblood. Only purebloods can sit at our table. You are not welcomed," Draco sneered.

"I can't believe you," Ginny grounded out.

Hermione lifted her chin and looked at Draco defiantly. "I am going to sit with Ginny and you can't stop me," Hermione stated with finality.

"You are not welcomed," Draco repeated.

"I'll tell Ron and Harry the truth now. Let them beat you up in front of everyone. Consequences be damned," Hermione threatened.

"You are just bluffing," Draco said uncertainly.

"You wouldn't dare," Pansy said, her eyes widened at the prospect of Draco being bloodied by Potter and Weasley.

"We, Gryffindors, dare to do anything," Hermione announced smugly.

Draco frowned. "Even if what they are about to do is suicidal," Draco finished for her. He turned to walk into the hall, dragging the fuming Ginny with him.

Hermione sighed in defeat. "He has seen through my bluff," she thought.

However, just as Draco was about to enter the doorway, she heard him said, "We'll be expecting you at our table." Hermione smiled triumphantly. Ginny was her friend and she was not about to leave her friend at the mercy of those snakes. Leaning against the wall, she waited for Ron and Harry to arrive.

Ginny threw her spoon frustratedly on her plate and glanced irritably at Draco. Draco appeared not to have noticed her though for he was too busy grumbling as he had been doing for the last ten minutes.

"Stupid Gryffindors…fake bracelets…a soulmate coming from an eccentric family…death sentence…"Ginny heard him muttered between bites. Ginny glowered at the plate in front of her.

"Malfoys don't overreact indeed," she thought sarcastically. "At least he's not the one using his left hand to eat," she mumbled, looking forlornly at the food. She had been struggling to eat with her left hand and it was torturous. She wondered if anyone noticed. The only one who showed awareness over her discomfort was Hermione but there was nothing much Hermione could do except giving Ginny sympathetic looks.

Ginny looked over at Ron, who seemed to have gotten into his 'protective-big-brother' mood for he was glaring suspiciously at her. He looked tensed and ready to spring at any moment. "It must be taking all of self-control not to come over and beat Malfoy up," she observed wryly.

"Irritating Weasley…if only she hasn't meddled…busybody," Draco's words interrupted Ginny's thoughts. Ginny wrinkled her nose in distaste. If he was going to totally immature about the whole thing, she was going to do the same.

Ginny straightened and started grumbling the way Draco had been doing, "Idiotic Slytherins…obsessive Parkinson. If only she hadn't found the dumb bracelet, I would not have been stuck with a bloody ferret…"

She would have continued her rants had Draco not cut in. "Shut up, Weasley. Your voice is spoiling my appetite," he snapped.

"You have been doing the same thing for the last ten minutes. I'll shut up if you shut up," Ginny retorted.

"No one tells me what to do. I'll do as I please," Draco told her.

"Fine. I'll do as I please too and you can't stop me," Ginny countered.

"Fine," Draco replied.

"Fine," Ginny replied.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Stop it," Hermione whispered as she leaned towards the bickering pair. "People are starting to watch. My back might be facing your brother but I can feel his glare from right across the room," she warned.

Ginny stopped to look at Gryffindors table and true enough, Ron was glaring at them. Ginny gulped. She did not want her brother to cause a scene even though she would love to watch Draco being beaten to a bloody pulp by her brother.

"What? You are not arguing anymore?" Draco asked her, in a taunting manner. Ginny ignored him. "Can't win against me, huh? So you rather keep quiet than suffer the indignity of not being able to best me," Draco said in an arrogant manner. Even though, Ginny was not looking at Draco, she knew he was smirking. It was evident in his tone of voice.

"One more word from you and I will not hesitate to tear you limb from limb and from the looks of it, my brother will be glad to assist me in doing so," Ginny warned. Fortunately for Ginny, Draco had enough sense to keep quiet. The rest of their dinner remained uneventful as everyone tried to ignore each other and focused on finishing their own dinner.

"Are you sure Dumbledore will be arriving soon?" Ginny asked Hermione. They had finished their dinner a few minutes ago and were now waiting for Dumbledore in the hallway that led to his office.

Hermione nodded. "For all we know, he's already in his office. We might end up waiting for him the whole night," Ginny pointed out.

"No. He and the other professors always have a short meeting every Saturday evening. It will end in a few minutes time," Hermione explained.

"I hope so. He better be here soon," Ginny said.

"Can't wait to rid yourself of me, Weasley," Draco commented.

Ginny shot him a peevish look. "You're probably feeling the same way," she remarked.

"Do you even have to doubt?" Pansy cut in before Draco could say a word. Draco glared at Pansy. He had more brilliant comebacks for Ginny's remarks and Pansy had just deprived Draco the pleasure of using them by giving a comeback of her own.

"Students," Dumbledore greeted as he approached them.

"We need your help, professor," Hermione began.

Dumbledore glanced briefly at the chain between Draco and Ginny and nodded. "Follow me," he said simply and led them to his office.

"The Soulmates Band," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "How did you find it?" he questioned.

"I found it on my bed this afternoon. I have no idea where it came from," Pansy answered him.

"Strange," Dumbledore murmured. "What happened then?"

"Well…I…uh…I thought that it can be put to good use," Pansy started hesitantly, trying to avoid Draco's eyes who were definitely boring holes into her.

"Go on," Dumbledore prodded.

Taking a deep breath, Pansy launched into the whole story of how Ginny and Draco ended up chained together.

Dumbledore was silent for a while. Then he said, "It seems that the four of you have already found the solution to your problem."

"But we have already tried it. It doesn't work," Draco pointed out.

"Try again," Dumbledore told them. Then in an afterthought, he added, "Sincerely this time."

"Perhaps you don't understand, professor, how can we confess our so-called love sincerely when we don't even like each other," Ginny clarified.

"Well…it will take time but I'm sure that it can be done," Dumbledore said in a rather candid manner. "Besides, the Soulmates Band would never have closed itself around couples that are not destined to be together."

"What?" Draco and Ginny both burst out.

"Isn't there any other way to free them, professor?" Hermione asked.

"No. The wizard who created it made sure of that," the professor answered. The four students groaned miserably. "The Soulmates Band has never been proven wrong," Dumbledore added.

"There's always the first," Ginny muttered darkly.

"So there's really nothing you can do to help?" Pansy asked, looking slightly hysterical.

"Short of giving them a permanent love potion that might speed up the whole process, I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do," Dumbledore admitted.

"How disappointing," Draco murmured softly, but loud enough to be heard by the rest. Everyone turned to him. He had a look of mock disappointment on his face. Draco, realising that he now had everyone's attention, he continued on, "My father has always told me that you are an incompetent wizard."

"Malfoy…" Hermione warned.

Draco pressed on, his eyes shining with what Ginny swore could be described as disillusionment, "But I thought otherwise. I have never really given credit to what my father says. After all, you are the only one the Dark Lo…uh…you-know-who…has ever feared."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "He is being too dramatic over this. Then again, what do you expect from someone who had pretended to be severely hurt by a hippogriff just so that he could cause Hagrid to lose his job," Ginny thought.

"Enough of this, Malfoy," Hermione scolded and tried to pull him and Ginny out of the office. "Thanks, professor. We better get going now," Hermione said quickly.

"But you can't even release us from this simple thing," Draco finished, mock sadness on his face.

"Mr. Malfoy, I thought the last five years in Hogwarts would have thought you that even the greatest wizard cannot do everything. Voldemort fails to accept that and that itself will eventually destroy him," Dumbledore said. "Now, I think you might want to spend some time discussing about your sleeping arrangements and probably even your classes since both of you are in different years. You don't have much time as the curfew is starting soon."

Both Ginny and Draco paled when they realised the many complications that they were going to face now that they knew they would be stuck with each other for quite a while.

"Let's go," Hermione urged them. "Thanks again, professor," she said as she pulled Ginny and Draco out of the office.

"I'll inform the other professors regarding your circumstances so that they will know what is going on," Dumbledore called out.

"How could you be so rude?" Hermione asked, shooting Draco a reproving look.

Draco shrugged. "I was trying to make him feel as guilty as possible," he replied.

"There probably must be no other way. We'll just have to wait and see," Hermione remarked thoughtfully.

"Wait and see?" Ginny echoed in disbelief. "Do you know how long that might be?" she cried.

"We can't do much about it now, Ginny," Hermione reasoned with her.

"The whole school will know. Ron will know. How about where to sleep or whose classes to attend?" Ginny said, looking agitated.

"The curfew is in a few minutes time," Hermione reminded them. "We have to go back to our dorm now."

Ginny and Draco looked at each other.

"I'm going back to the Gryffindor tower," Ginny informed Draco, her face set with determination.

"You can try but I'm going back to my room," Draco shot back. To prove his point, he started to walk in the direction of his dorm.

Ginny gave a yelp of protest. "Oh no, you don't" she growled and began walking in the opposite the direction. It was a tug of war between them.

"Weasley," Draco protested, tugging harder and harder at the chain.

"No!" Ginny cried, refusing to give in to him.

"Going to your dorm is like asking for an early death. Your brother, Potter and the rest of those Gryffindors are going to beat me to death," Draco said.

"Scared?" Ginny taunted.

"No," Draco answered. They were now facing each other but they were still tugging at the chain between them.

"You are probably scared that my brother is going to rearrange your pretty face," Ginny teased, pleased to have the upper hand.

To Ginny's surprise, Draco's scowl turned into a smirk. "So you think I have a pretty face," he said.

"What?" Ginny exclaimed, clearly not expecting his reaction.

"You think I have a pretty face," Draco repeated, looking rather pleased with himself.

"I didn't mean it in a good way,"" she huffed.

"I'll take it in any way I can and in this case, I think you have just given me a compliment," Draco mused.

Ginny raised her eyebrow. "Was he really desperate for a compliment?" she wondered. Aloud, she said, "In your dreams, Malfoy."

"I don't have to. It has already happened in reality," Draco pointed out.

"Why you insufferable, irritating, taunting…."Ginny ranted.

Pansy closed her ears with her hands. "Their fighting is getting boring," she whined.

Hermione nodded. They were running out of time and Filch might have already started his nightly rounds. "This is for your own good," she muttered and pointed her wand at the arguing pair.

"Silencio," Hermione shouted as sparks shot out of her wand and hit Draco and Ginny.

Both Ginny and Draco jumped slightly at the impact. "What the…"Ginny tried to say but no sound came out. She clapped her hand over her mouth and stared at Draco. He too had the same shocked expression on his face. He opened his mouth to say something and like Ginny, nothing was heard. Realising what had happened, they both turned to the culprit who was smiling sheepishly at them.

"It's you," they mouthed, glaring at Hermione in an intimidating manner.

"Both of you are getting too noisy," Hermione justified her action.

Draco and Ginny were advancing on Hermione, their expression clearly indicated that they were ready to do bodily harm to her.

"We will be going to the Gryffindors dorm tonight," Hermione said quickly. "I don't want to leave Ginny alone with your lot." Ginny stopped and smiled gratefully at her friend. Draco, meanwhile, looked as though he was about to protest but he could not say anything. Hermione smiled triumphantly. "Hmm…the silencing charm really works like a charm. Remind me to use this on you again when you become an insufferable git," Hermione said smugly to Draco.

Draco took a step towards Hermione but Ginny held him back. "Both of you should take turns. Ginny has already sat with your housemates just now," Hermione explained. "We have to let Ron know of this situation too. If he finds out from anybody else, he'll just end up getting a twisted version and starts to hunt you down. So, it's best if we face him now."

Draco still looked as though he disagreed with her. Hermione was about to continue with her explanation about the merit of her plan when Draco nodded unhappily.

"Good," Hermione decided and released the pair from her silencing charm.

"When we get out of this fiasco, Granger, I'm going to make your life a living hell," Draco threatened.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "As if that's something new," she said dryly.

"I'm coming with you," Pansy told them.

"No, you can't," Ginny disagreed.

"Why not?" Pansy asked.

"You just can't," Ginny repeated simply.

"If Granger can sit with us just now, why can't I go to your dorm?" Pansy questioned.

"Because because because!" Ginny shouted in exasperation.

"What good reason indeed," Pansy said sarcastically. Ginny merely let out a humph and looked away.

Pansy took on a hopeful expression. "So can I go to your dorm?" she asked.

"No!" Ginny, Draco and Hermione shouted. The three girls turned to Draco in surprise over his outburst but Draco merely shrugged.

"Why?" Pansy asked again.

Hermione let out a dramatic sigh and said, "If you even have to ask Pansy, I'll doubt you'll even understand."

"Huh?" Pansy managed, looking bewildered.

Draco shook his head. He did not know that being with these three girls could give him such a headache. Usually, he would love to be in the company of girls but as he looked at the three girls who were still arguing…"A whiny, obsessive girl, a muggle-lover and a know-it-all mudblood who knows she is a know-it-all and knows how to flaunt it," he went though in his mind…he decided that this just had to be an exception.

"…the rest if the girls will not be happy to have you there and they'll cut your hair till you're bald while you're sleeping and…" Ginny was trying to convince Pansy and by the looks of it, Pansy seemed to be buying it.

"Girls," Draco called. "It's already curfew time. We need to get going," he informed them.

"Right," Ginny agreed. "Let's go then," she urged as she started in the direction of her dorm. Draco followed her.

Hermione turned to Pansy. "Don't worry. We'll ensure that your precious Malfoy will still be intact by tomorrow," Hermione reassured her and waved her off.

"He'll better be fine or I'll set Crabbe and Goyle on you and Weasley," Pansy relented.

"Deal," Hermione said. She then turned and walked away. As she caught up with Ginny and Draco, she sighed. "One problem over. Now, to face Ron and the rest of the Gryffindors. All the best, Malfoy," she thought as a mental picture of Draco being surrounded by furious Gryffindor males crossed her mind.

To be continued…

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. Thanks very much for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Bound By Love

By Lyeza

Disclaimer: None of the Harry Potter characters belong to me. They belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 3:

Draco stole a glance at Ginny as they walked quietly towards Gryffindor tower. He was apprehensive over having to take on all the Gryffindors especially her brother. "I wonder if there's a way for me to escape unscathed," he pondered.

"Hmm…How about using Weaslette as hostage," he mused mentally. Draco remembered the time when his father made him watched a muggle movie to make fun of. In the movie, a group of men had wanted to rob a bank and thus, one of them grabbed a lady nearby to use her as a hostage. No one dared to do anything because of that and the robbers managed to escape from the police.

Draco smiled slightly when he imagined himself pointing his wand threateningly against Ginny's forehead as he faced her brother. "It just might work," he decided.

"What might work?" Ginny asked, breaking through his reverie.

"Oh, nothing," Draco replied hastily. Ginny looked at him suspiciously, silently warning him not to do anything to her. Draco gulped. He had not thought about how Ginny would react to his plan. From what he had learnt about her in the past few hours, she was not one to mess around with. Suddenly, a mental picture of Ginny kicking him in the shin, when he tried to hold her as hostage, crossed his mind.

"On second thought, I better not try that on her," he thought. Draco was about to think of another plan when Hermione ran over to them.

"At the rate both of you are going, it will already be morning by the time we reach the tower," Hermione commented. Draco stopped to glare at her. His abrupt stop caused Ginny to stumble back, almost losing her balance.

"Really, Malfoy. You should have at least warn me that you're going to stop," Ginny complained. Then she scowled at the chain. "I hate you," she growled.

Despite the fact that he was also suffering from the same predicament as her, Draco grinned. "As if it understands you," he remarked. Ginny shifted her glare to him.

"I loathe you," she bit out.

Draco frowned. "She does wonder to my ego," he thought dryly. It was not that he wanted her to love him or even like him. After all, he had plenty girls who were queuing up just for a chance to be his girlfriend. However, it was the way she had said it; so filled with emotion, so genuine that he wondered if she really thought so lowly of him.

"I abhor you too, Weasley," he shot back.

Suddenly, a loud clang was heard. Both Ginny and Draco stared unbelievingly at the chain between them. It looked shorter.

"What has just happened?" Ginny cried.

Hermione shook her head. "Confession of love will free both of you but every time you declare your hate for each other, the chain will get shorter and shorter," Hermione explained.

"What?" Both Ginny and Draco burst out.

"You should have bear that in mind when you announce your feelings for one another just now," Hermione pointed out.

"You did not inform us earlier," Draco countered.

Hermione smiled sheepishly. "While we're at this, let me warn you not to hex each other. This bind between you will cause both of you to suffer from the attack," she said hastily. "Anyway, I better head to the tower first. I think its better to prepare Ron and Harry for this rather than they see both you chained together immediately," she continued.

Ginny nodded. "Go on then," she said. "We'll take our time reaching there." Ginny watched as Hermione hurried along the corridor. She wondered how long it would take Hermione to calm her brother down.

For a while, there was silence between Draco and Ginny, each not knowing what to say to each other. Then Ginny broke the silence. "Nervous?" she asked sarcastically.

Draco glanced at her. "Definitely not," he answered in an offended tone. "Besides, I'll probably be able to take on all the Gryffindor boys single-handedly."

"Pretty arrogant for a mere ferret," Ginny commented.

"Shut up, weasel," Draco snapped.

Ginny grinned. "Ah! Your wit so astounds me," she announced dramatically, placing her free hand over her heart.

"Shut up," Draco repeated, starting to walk faster and faster as though trying to get away from her. That was impossible, of course.

"Ah! There it goes again," Ginny murmured in a fake astounded voice. "Tsk tsk. You have such limited vocabulary. Do you know that you can use phrases like 'be silent' or 'be quiet' or 'kindly refrain from talking' or……."

"Silence!" Draco bellowed, causing Ginny to jump in fright.

Ginny quickly looked around anxiously. "Shh…Do you want Filch to catch us?"

"You goad me into it. I'm wondering why I don't just hex you to oblivion," he threatened.

"That's because you can't do that without hurting yourself, you slimy git," Ginny pointed out.

Draco glared at her for a while. "Let's just go," he said and continued to walk with her in tow. Ginny let out a triumphant grin. Nothing brightened her day err…night like putting an arrogant Malfoy in his place.

Meanwhile,

"Umm…Harry, Ron," Hermione called as she approached them.

"Hey, Hermione," Ron said. "Where's Ginny?" he asked.

"Umm…There's something that I need to tell you. It's about Ginny," Hermione started, thinking of ways on how to break the news to them. "They'll be furious," she thought dreadfully.

"What is it, Hermione?" Harry asked, noticing the troubled look on her face.

Hermione sat opposite them and continued rather too eagerly, "Do you know that there is such thing as the Soulmates Band? I just found out about it."

Both Ron and Harry glanced at each other, looking rather confused. "What is that?" Harry asked.

"It was invented by a famous wizard to bind couples, who are destined to be soulmates, together," Hermione explained hesitantly.

"Are you sure there's such thing?" Ron asked dubiously. "Sounds like a bunch of….."

"I've already seen it, Ron," Hermione interrupted.

Harry nodded. "What does that have to do with anything though?" he asked.

"Uh…you see…I…we…."Hermione stammered, looking very uncertain. "Oh! I'm going to strangle Pansy for starting this mess," she thought menacingly. Hermione looked at Harry and Ron. Harry looked predictably puzzled and slightly interested but it was Ron who worried her. For some unknown reason, Ron's face was crimson red and he uncomfortable.

"What's wrong, Ron?" Hermione asked, alarmed.

"So….you…want…to…uh…want…." Ron stammered, blushing furiously.

"Want what, Ron?" Hermione snapped, getting slightly irritated by his strange behaviour.

Ron took a deep breath and asked quickly, "You want to experiment it on……. me?"

For a while, everyone stared disbelievingly at Ron. Ron looked as though he wanted to disappear into the ground.

"What!" Hermione burst out. It was now her turn to blush furiously. "You…I…what?" she exclaimed, looking at loss for words.

Harry, who found the whole situation amusing, guffawed at his friends' antics. Ron scowled at him. "It's not funny," he growled.

"This is about Ginny, Ron," Hermione pointed out in a strangled voice, pink tinges were still evident on her cheeks.

"Oh!" Ron managed, looking very embarrassed. Harry, who was enjoying his friends' discomfort, laughed even more heartily.

"Shut up, Harry!" Both Hermione and Ron snapped. Harry stopped but he continued to smile smugly at them.

Desperate to move on to a less mortifying topic, Ron continued hastily, "So, what is it about Ginny and the Soulmates Band. She want to try it with Harry?" Harry raised his eyebrow at the statement.

"No, Ron. She's already over Harry, remember," Hermione said.

"She wants to try it on Dean then?" Ron quizzed.

"No," Hermione replied curtly.

"Someone else who catches her fancy?" he continued to guess.

Hermione gave a sigh of exasperation. "At this rate, Ginny and Malfoy will be here before I can even explain the situation," she muttered under her breath.

"What is it then, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Don't keep us in suspense," Ron added.

Just before Hermione could speak, the door to the portrait hole opened. Hermione groaned as stunned silence filled the whole common room. Everybody present had stopped whatever they were doing to stare at the unwelcome visitor. Hermione knew exactly who had entered the room.

For a moment, no one reacted. Draco looked at the bewildered faces around him. "Still can't get over their shock? How pathetic," he thought snidely, momentarily forgetting that he was at the mercy of these people.

"Stay away from my sister!" Ron shouted the moment he snapped out of his stupor.

Draco sneered at the enraged boy who was now approaching him.

"Really, Weasley. Do you think I will want to be seen close to a Weasley?" he asked. He then held up the chain that was holding him and Ginny together for everyone to see. Gasps were heard as everyone stared in disbelief at the chain between Ginny and Draco.

Ron turned to face Hermione. "That is the Soulmates Band you were talking about just now? How can my sister and him be soulmates?" he demanded.

Even Harry looked furious. "What is going on, Hermione?" he asked, glaring dangerously at his archenemy. By the now, everyone's bewilderment was already replaced by anger and indignation. Several of them, including Neville, had already had their wands drawn and pointed towards Draco.

Draco gulped. "I've told you this is a bad idea," Draco whispered at Ginny.

"Ginny, aren't you going to explain?" Ron demanded, his eyes fixed on Draco as he waved his wand menacingly at him.

Hermione stood in front of Draco and Ginny as though trying to protect both of them from Ron. "It's not their fault, Ron. It was an accident," Hermione tried to explain.

"Accident or not, we're going to make Malfoy sorry that he ever chained himself to Ginny and still had the gull to come over to our common room to flaunt it to us. Right, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Right," Harry agreed, followed by nods from across the common room.

"Weasley, I think we should run," Draco said to Ginny. He was outnumbered and no one in his right mind would still want to stay and fight.

Before Ginny could agree though, Hermione announced to her enraged housemates, "You can't do that. This band has special powers and if you hex Malfoy, Ginny will suffer the same effect too. You don't want Ginny to get hurt, do you?"

"Ginny, why do you have to get stuck with him?" Ron asked. "Not that I want you to try that thing with someone else. But Malfoy? That is just too much."

"It isn't my fault, Ron," Ginny snapped. Ron looked at her disbelievingly. He was about to protest when Hermione interjected, "It's not her fault. Pansy accidentally put it on her when they argued just now." Ron sighed. He looked lost and uncertain on what to do.

"What do you reckon we should do now, Ron?" asked Dean Thomas, who had stood behind Ron.

"Well, if we cannot do it the wizard's way," Ron began as he rolled up his sleeve. "We'll do it the muggle's way then." A murmur of agreement spread throughout the whole room.

Draco gulped. "I should have known listening to the mudblood is a bad idea," he grumbled. He took a step backwards but they continued to advance towards him.

"Stop!" Ginny shouted. She pushed him slightly behind her as though trying to protect him.

Draco scowled at her back. "I don't really need you to protect me, Weasley," he growled.

Ginny glanced over her shoulder and snapped, "This is not the time for misplaced pride, Malfoy." Draco raised his eyebrow at her tone. The girl in front of him right now was a totally different person from the shy timid girl he remembered in his second year.

"Ginny, Malfoy has already stated that he don't want you to protect him. Let us at him, Ginny," Ron said condescendingly.

"No. Don't hurt him," Ginny said, glaring at her brother. Draco noticed the stunned look on everyone's face as Ginny said that. They had already stopped their advance on him." She's really good at intimidating people," he realized somewhat admiringly.

"I don't know that you care for me, Weasley," Draco whispered in her ear.

Ginny whirled on him. "I don't. It's just that if they beat you up, I might accidentally get beaten up too," she retorted.

Draco frowned. "And I thought I was the self-centered one," he grumbled.

"Ginny," Ron whined. "We'll be most careful, I promise. We won't touch you at all. Just let me get him." Ginny stared at her brother incredulously. The rest of the Gryffindors too looked doubtful for they knew there was no way that they could get to Malfoy without hurting Ginny.

Harry sighed. "Do you know how to get free from this…this…chain?" he asked Ginny.

Ginny bit her lips nervously. "A sincere confession of love," she answered.

"What!" everyone shouted. Draco grinned. The sight of horrified Gryffindors staring at him was rather comical and would be permanently etched as one of his most precious memories.

"That is never going to happen," Ron scowled.

"Isn't there any other way, Hermione?" Dean asked, as he looked worriedly at Ginny.

"No, we even talked to Dumbledore but…." Hermione explained but Draco interrupted.

"But the silly wanker has no other solution," Draco finished for Hermione.

"Don't call him that, Malfoy," Harry warned. Harry glanced at Ginny and his gaze softened. "There has to be another way," he insisted.

"We are trying to find a way, Harry. That's why Malfoy and I are here now. We want you to know what is going on and help us," Ginny explained. Then she turned to Ron and added, "We also do not want you to overreact when you later find out about it from someone else."

Harry smiled at Ginny. "Don't worry, Gin. We'll do what we can to help. Right, Ron?" he asked, as he nudged his best friend slightly.

Ron tore his glare away from Draco. "Uh…yes…We'll do anything to free you from this slimy git," he agreed. Then he turned back to Draco and said, "In the meantime, you better not try anything funny with my sister or the consequences will be dreadful."

"Yes," Dean seconded. "We'll be watching your every move, Malfoy." Draco merely ignored the warning.

Ginny stifled her yawn. "This has been such a tiring day," she murmured. "Good night, everyone," she added as she gave her housemates a tired wave and left for her dorm, pulling Malfoy with her.

Draco looked at the scandalized faces of the people around him. He grinned. Then he walked slightly ahead of Ginny and drawled in a loud voice, "Come on, Weasley. Our bed awaits."

Draco's grin widened even further when he heard muffled protests and there were scrambling of chairs behind them. Oh, how he wished he could just turn around and have a look at Ron's horrified face.

"Let me at him. Let me at him," Ron was shouting. Obviously, some of his friends were trying to hold him back. "Make him sleep on the floor, Ginny," Ron choked out just before Ginny and Draco disappeared behind the stairs.

"Oh, I sure will," Ginny mumbled.

Once they were in her dorm, Ginny elbowed Draco in the stomach. "Wha…aat?" Draco said in a strangled voice, caught completely unaware.

Ginny giggled at his pained expression. "Serves you right," she said admonishingly, looking not at all intimidated by his glare. "Don't try to glare at me when you are in pain, Malfoy. It's pathetic," Ginny snickered.

"What's that for?" Draco demanded.

Ginny smirked. Then adopting Draco's voice, she repeated, "Come on Weasley. Our bed awaits."

Draco winced at her imitation of himself. "It did sound rather morbid," he admitted. "Hey!" Draco exclaimed, when Ginny suddenly moved towards her bed, causing him to almost stumble to the floor.

"What are you doing?" he questioned as he watched Ginny threw a pillow and a blanket on the floor. "How generous of you but I don't see why you have to sleep on the floor when I'm perfectly willing to let you share this bed with me," he said with a grin.

Ginny frowned. "This is my bed, Malfoy. You're the one who's sleeping on the floor."

"No way!" Draco protested. "Malfoys never sleep on the floor."

"There's a first time to everything, isn't there?" Ginny retorted sardonically. When she saw that Draco was about to argue with her, she immediately cut it, "I can just tell my brother and his friends that you keep insisting in sharing my bed with me. I'm sure they want to have their say in it."

Draco visibly paled. The boys would not just want their say in it. They would also want to have their fists planted in his face. Ginny, realizing that she had successfully managed to frighten Draco, then adopt an air-hostess voice and said, "Now, that we have come to an agreement, why don't you make yourself comfortable on the floor."

Draco scowled at her. "Why can't she be meek and easy to be bullied?" he thought in exasperation as he prepared to sleep.

"Good night, Malfoy," Ginny whispered as she settled comfortably in her bed. Draco merely grunted in response.

Close to half an hour later, Draco sat up. He turned to the sleeping girl. "Weasley, he whispered. There was no answer. Draco grinned as he quietly stood up.

"No one tells a Malfoy what to do," he said softly as he stealthily climbed onto the bed beside Ginny. "And Malfoys never sleep on the floor," he continued sleepily.

He did not care if Ginny was going to tell her brother or tried to maim him herself. For now, he only wanted a soft, comfortable bed to sleep on. "I'll worry about them tomorrow," he muttered before finally dozing off besides the very girl whose family had a long-standing feud with his.

To be continued…………..

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. I'm so sorry that I took a long time. Lots of school works need to be done first before I can concentrate on this story. I'll do my best to get my chapters done as soon as possible. By the way, I'm looking for a beta reader. Usually, I have my sis to do the editing for me but she's very busy now. If you're interested, please email me at lyeza221@hotmail.com. I hope to hear from any of you soon. ^_^ 

Next chapter: Ginny wakes up in the middle of the night, wanting to use the toilet. What will she do when she saw Malfoy right next to her? And how are they going to solve the first of the many problems to come?


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